Fraud Prevention

FBI Fraud Alert: Don’t get ripped off!

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has developed a fraud alert to help you avoid being the victim of some increasingly common money schemes. If you can answer “yes” to any of the following questions, you could be involved in a fraud or are about to be scammed:

Did you receive a check from an item you sold on the Internet, such as a car, boat, jewelry, etc.?

Is the amount of the check more than the item’s selling price?

Did you receive the check via an overnight delivery service?

Is the check connected to communicating with someone by e-mail?

Is the check drawn on a business or individual account that is different from the person buying your item or product?

Have you been informed that you were the winner of a lottery, such as one from Canada, Australia, El Gordo, or El Mundo, that you did not enter?

Have you been instructed to wire, send, or ship money, as soon as possible, to a large U.S. city or to another country, such as Canada, England, or Nigeria?

Have you been asked to pay money to receive a deposit from another country, such as Canada, England, or Nigeria?

Are you receiving a pay or commission for facilitating money transfers through your account?

Did you respond to an e-mail requesting you to confirm, update, or provide your account information?